If you have a simple question regarding the care of your child’s teeth, you might perform a quick Google search to get the answer. Unfortunately, you can’t trust everything you read online, and in most cases, you are better off calling your pediatric dentist for the answer. Below, the friendly team at Dentistry For Kids in Pearl City, HI, discusses a few of the most common dental myths you will find online, as well as the facts behind them:

1. Baby Teeth Are Not as Important as Permanent Teeth

Although your child’s baby teeth will eventually fall out, they are every bit as important as the permanent teeth that will come in. Baby teeth play an integral role in the formation of your child’s smile, and if they fall out too early because of damage or decay, your child may need extensive orthodontic treatment or even jaw surgery down the road. You can take care of your child’s baby teeth by scheduling the first dental visit when the first tooth erupts and a professional teeth cleaning every six months after.

2. Children Should Brush Their Own Teeth to Foster Independence

It’s important for children to learn how to take care of themselves, but the basic hygiene tasks they perform should be age appropriate. It is challenging for young children to reach all their teeth when brushing, so make sure you help. If your child is insistent on brushing alone, let him or her do it first, and then perform a quick “follow-up” brushing to get all the hard-to-reach places.

3. Putting Your Baby to Bed With a Bottle Is Fine If No Teeth Have Come in Yet

Even if you cannot see your child’s baby teeth, they are still there, just underneath the gum line, and giving him or her a bottle of anything other than water at bedtime will promote decay. Teeth that have not yet erupted are just as susceptible to decay as those that have, and if your child sips on milk or juice all night, your pediatric dentist will tell you it is a recipe for poor oral hygiene.

If you need to make your child’s first dental appointment, head to Dentistry For Kids in Pearl City, HI. Visit their website to learn more about the services they provide, and call (808) 486-8881 to make an appointment with a pediatric dentist today.